Training

Before any employees start working in an area containing cotton dust, employers must provide them with formal training at no cost to the employee. This training must include at least the following:

• The nature of any job that could expose workers to cotton dust at or above the PEL
• The long-term and short-term health risks of cotton dust exposure
• Any measures taken to decrease exposure to cotton dust, including engineering and work practice controls
• The purpose, use, and limitations of respirators
• A description of the medical examination program and its purpose
• The purpose of measuring cotton dust levels and an explanation of the measuring procedure
• A copy of 8 CCR 5190 and its appendices

This training must be repeated at least annually. It must also be repeated whenever job assignments or processes change, or whenever a worker needs retraining. Training materials must be made available to the Chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health for inspection.

To learn more about Cotton Dust Safety visit our Cal/OSHA Cotton Dust Safety Online Training web page.